Donovan Laughs 3

I tried to post this video with the previous one but the internet was being mysterious.

Here's more laughter from our baby goofball.

Donovan Laughs 2

Is there anything more wonderful than the sound of a baby laughing?

Happy Eight Hundred and Twenty Eight Month Old Day, Ken!

Yesterday Donovan hit the seventh month mark, which he celebrated by giving big drooly kisses to his grandfather, whose birthday was also yesterday.

I wasn't able to get the pictures done yesterday because I was so distracted by...
ADELIN USING THE POTTY!
That's right, the potty train finally left pooptown station on Monday when Adelin put on her big girl underpants, decided they were the best things everrrrrr, and made friends with her froggy potty.  Yesterday she had her first big outing, going to gymnastics with Nannie and me, and she did totally awesome, using the potty there and no accidents!  She then completed her grand slam tour by hanging out the rest of the day at Poppa and Nannies and TCBing it over there.  I'm so proud of her I could burst.  I want to hop up and down all the time and I'm smiling from ear to ear, because the whole experience of watching her learn something, and take pride in her accomplishment, has been unbelievably satisfying.

So, poor Donny.  Your sister stole your seven month spotlight.  I'm sure it wont be the last time.  Good thing you're too busy wolfing down applesauce and wiggle-worm dancing around the house to care.  But here's a sincere "happy seven month old day" to you, and happy birthday to you as well, Ken.  For your present, you get to clean up any 'accidents.'  Hooray!

Big Rock Candy Mountain

 We went up to the "big mountain" last weekend with Matt's parents, and stayed overnight at "Auntie Do-nice"'s condo up on Shawnee Peak.  It was a fun little getaway for the whole family.  The condo is right on the mountain -- like, if you're sitting in the living room/kitchen area looking out the window, you are watching skiers whisking by.  It's awesome.  We could just walk out the door and across the street, and be shuffling through the snow at the summit where the chair lifts are and everything.  Our friends Mary and DJ and their son Patrick ("Paddy") came up for the day on Saturday, too, to add to the fun.  Adelin loved going up Friday night with Nannie and Poppa, exploring the condo, and sleeping in a big girl bed overnight!  Donovan was a great traveler, and also enjoyed getting tons of attention from all the people waiting to hold him.  Nobody skied, but we were all totally impressed by Paddy's snowboarding skills and got to watch his first lesson with his Dad.  And both kids enjoyed sledding with their Daddies.  I even got on the sled for a couple runs.  The best part was being out in the fresh air, doing winter-y things in Maine with my family and friends. 

Advice

Here's some surprisingly good advice that I got from my stepfather today:

"Ask yourself, what would a Tiger Mom do? What would a French Mom do?
What would a Maine Mom do? Then choose based upon what a Cambridge mom
would do armed with all that info."

I like it!

Vote For Allison

Remember this?  It's time to vote.  You can cast your vote for Allison here.

Go Pats!

Adelin's got jokes

Adelin is a little comedienne, but she has a few go-to jokes that she repeats in order to get big laughs.  One of them is saying "bananapants!" especially by inserting 'bananapants' randomly into different songs.  She also likes to yell at Matt "I EAT POOP!" She likes him to reply, "What!??" in his super-shocked voice.  In fact, she likes this so much, that she has discussed it with me on other occasions.  "I tell Daddy, I eat poop!  And he says What!?"  She also likes to call me, and many other people and things, stinky, and hold her nose and say "P.U.!"  She has also started making up nonsense words and then yelling them to get a reaction.  This is actually comedy gold. 
Right before taking this video, she was eating grapes off the plate without using her hands or fork.  This had me in stitches.  Donovan was also impressed.  

Donny Plays

Aimee and Schuyler Week

Or, Things To Do In Maine With Little Kids When It's Cold Out.

Aimee came and visited with her son Schuyler this week and we had a blast!  There were some challenges, though, keeping three kids under four happy and entertained for a week in the winter in Maine!   Here's a list of some stuff that we did, for those who may benefit from it, or for those who are just curious.

1.  Children's Museum:  We went twice, once for just over an hour in the afternoon and once in the morning for a few hours.  It really is a great place for kids up to the age of seven, I would say.  Any older and I would think they might get kind of bored unless they were there for some specific activity or event.  Schuyler, who's turning four in a few weeks, really loved the fire truck!  It was nice when they announced an activity over the intercom, so we could regroup and do something with the kids together.

2.  LL Bean/Freeport:  We went with Schuyler and Donovan in the afternoon while Adelin napped at my in-laws'.  It's a nice, quick trip, and a good way to get a walk in when it's cold outside.

3.  Gilsland Farm:  Kind of a bust.  I wanted to see what their "Children's Discovery Room" and "Environmental Center" consisted of.  Pretty much just a couple of corners with some raggedy books and taxidermy.  I think this place would only be worth it for a specific, child focused program, or to try out snowshoes.

4.  Peekaboo Children's Center:  The trampoline was a hit with both kids and Schuyler played for a long time at the train table.  Even though it's touted as a play-place for kids up to age seven, I felt like Schuyler was just at the edge of being too old for it.  It was a great option though, for a good solid hour of running around time especially when the playgrounds are iced over.

5.  Pineland Farm:  They have family programs in the winter, including "The Joy of Chickens" on Thursdays and "Friday on the Farm" on Fridays.  We ended up doing a self-guided tour because of a weather cancellation, but we still had a blast.  I was a little ticked at their disorganization, but overall it was a good experience for the kids to meet some chickens and cows and take a beautiful drive up to New Gloucester.

6.  Maine Mall:  With Chuck E. Cheeses, the Carousel, and all the stores, I figured there had to be something to keep Schuyler happy.  His favorite ended up being playing on the computers at the Apple Store!  I never would have thought of that.  He also rode the little train that goes through the mall, and we checked out the toy store.

7.  Walk in the Woods:  One of the nicest times we had was taking a little afternoon stroll through the woods near my house.  It was fun playing "explorer," stomping through the snow, and sliding around on the ice.  It may be cold, but when the sun is shining and you're bundled up enough, the winter can be really beautiful.

Options we didn't end up exercising:

Sledding at Riverside Golf Course
Ice Skating
Open Gym at Maine Academy of Gymnastics
Bounce Zone
Library Story Hours.

We had such a blast and we already miss our friends.  It was so amazing to see Adelin and Schuyler interacting, and to imagine all the fun Adelin and Donovan are going to have together in just a few years.  We also learned a lot from them, about trying new foods and eating strategies and about sharing and playing nicely together!  Schuyler is a great big kid role model and he was so sweet and gentle with both his younger friends.   We're hoping that they can come back in the summer and we'll have even more fun!